Explosives ordnance team to clear mortar bombs in Sava River in Bosnia

An elite police unit from Brno has headed to Bosnia and Herzegovina to
clear vestiges of the war in Bosnia 17 years ago: unexploded mortar bombs
in the winding Sava River. Divers from the elite squad – working in poor
visibility, underwater – will understandably have to proceed with extreme
caution: an estimated 150 mortar shells litter the river bottom.

Photo: Czech Television
Divers from the explosive ordnance disposal squad based in Brno are ranked
among the very best and are used to working in tough conditions: but their
latest mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina arguably raises the bar. Over nine
days, members of the elite team will work to remove and defuse unexploded
mortar bombs that have rested in mud at the bottom of the Sava River for 17
years. Given that a single 200 mm 20 kilogram bomb has a large blast range,
the mission will need to proceed only with the utmost caution. The head of
divers in the Brno unit, Filip Lipovský, told Czech TV he was certain the
team is up to the task:

“When we were first asked if we could do it, I replied that I thought
that we could. I have a very good team behind me. At the same time, I asked
each member of the squad if the level of risk was acceptable. They all said
it was. But you have to treat munitions like this with respect: we’re not
going over there to just pull any old thing out of the water.”

Filip Lipovský, photo: Czech Television
The team operating on the Sava River will have to adjust to conditions
‘on the ground’: as officials have pointed out the river itself – as
wide as 200 metres in places – will not be easy to cover. Sonar will be
used to try and detect deadly mortars shells first; then, divers will be
sent in to scope the area. The unit’s Filip Lipovský makes clear no one
is underestimating the risk:

“We are going to be pulling out some of the largest shells, 120 mm...
and it’s probably the first time something like this was attempted. I
highly doubt any insurance company would insure a diver/specialist who will
be manipulating explosive devices, underwater, with little visibility,
against the current; putting them in a basket or attaching them to a line
so they can be removed.”

The head of the unit, Lubomír Znojil, suggests meanwhile, that while on
the one hand the mission is a challenge to be met, he personally will be
happier once things wrap up:

Photo: Czech Television“We’re used to similar kinds of work but we’ve never attempted a
project as big as this before, in such a wide area as the Sava. It’s an
unusual feeling to ‘return to the war’, so to speak. We don’t know
what kind of condition the munitions will be in, whether they will be
active and there is really a lot... I have to admit I will be happier once
it is over and each of us has returned home to our families, safe and
sound.”